An incumbent Republican congressman from New York now has a surprising lead over his progressive opponent, according to a new poll.
The poll, conducted by PIX11, The Hill and Emerson College, found that Rep. Mike Lawler, R.N.Y., has a 49% to 44% lead over former Democratic U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones. The two are running in New York’s 17th Congressional District and the poll is conducted a week before the Nov. 5 election.
The survey, which was released Tuesday, was conducted Oct. 24-26 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points. According to Emerson College, the data was collected through mobile phone surveys.
Lawler earned a four-point increase in support, according to a previous poll conducted by Emerson College. The other poll, conducted Oct. 1-3, found Lawler had 45% of voter support and placed Jones at 44%.
BATTLEFIELD STATE OFFICIALS SAY FOREIGN ENEMIES USE DISINFORMATION TO ‘UNDERMINE’ THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
The poll also found that 52% of voters have a favorable opinion of Lawler, compared to 44% of voters who have a favorable opinion of Jones.
The district still leans blue in presidential election polls, with the survey finding that half of voters support President Kamala Harris and 47% support former President Donald Trump.
“The top issue for voters in the 17th District is the economy, at 30%, followed by immigration (20%), housing affordability (15%), crime (11%) and threats to democracy (10%),” findings read.
“Half (50%) of voters in District 17 say they are worse off financially today than they were a year ago, while 32% say they are doing about the same, and 18% are better off.”
TRUMP MERCHANDISE OUTSELLS PRO-HARRIS MERCHANDISE BY A HIT MARGIN AS ELECTION DAY APPROACHES
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said the recent findings highlight an important gender divide among voters.
“There is a stark gender divide in the 17th district: men lead Lawler by 27 points and women lead Jones by 16, while men are more divided in the 18th district: 47% support Esposito and 46 “% supports Ryan.” Kimball explained. “Women edge Ryan by 20 points”.
Earlier this month, Lawler was accused of dressing in black when photos emerged of him dressed as Michael Jackson in October 2006. Lawler, a student at the time, said his costume was intended as a compliment and apologized for offend.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to the Lawler and Jones campaigns for comment.